It will not always be summer; build barns. The potting shed goes on...

[echt]

Please ignore my first, illiterate thread. I'll try again.

I hope this quotation from Hesiod captures the moment of movement from high summer to the splendours of harvest and the planing for the new year.

:o

I am on chalk/flint and mulch every year, as much as my compost allows ( quite a bit of compost, biggish garden)
After 30+ years, it's working :) But still need a pickaxe in summer to plant things

Interesting and helpful to read of people's experience with clay .Adding mulch etc to surface sounds hopeful and doable - on the plus side I have lots of leaves on hand ,on the minus side our garden is at the end of a100' pathway with restricted access which means carrying bags the first 35'.

funny - sounds like my wallflower purchase was a mistake .I can see another bag of horticultural grit is going to be required ,my back is cringing as I type . I've run out and yesterday saw me washing ( rubber trug and watering can ) the rubble soil from the end of my garden to get a replacement .

Maud my garden is big by London standards ( 65' x 20'),not visible from our flat, and bordered by other long spaces .One of which is set to become a conctruction site .

We are really lucky ,though yesterday when I finally made it into the garden I was cursing the person using the leaf blower a couple of houses down ! In the summer it's strimmers .

So I'm thinking about my rubbly soil - wondering if it might be a resource ? Both for drainage and for effect on the soii?

I've googled and brick seems to contain calcium ,tho I've no idea of the implications of that for the soil and the sort of plants who might like it ?
The brick is broken up into small pieces ,there doesn't seem to any mortar.

I think I might try and add some soil from another part of the garden to the rubbly bit ,or vice versa as rubbly bit is quite shaded ,and plant the wallflowers in it .

yes I think so, good idea

I dont think the wallflowers were a mistake, anyway nature is the final decider, plant them and see!

No mistakes on gardening, just experiments That does sound like a plan with the soil.

Searabbit I have the same issue but have decided I am holding off for now until a bit colder on balance

My own garden has been decidedly experimental!

Sugarplum I actually cracked yesterday & dug all the dahlias up, and shoved tulips in their places. I went on the basis that I felt like it yesterday - and I may not when there's been a frost.

Searabbit and Sugarplum, can you offer me any tips? It's my first time growing dahlias but I thought I might have a go at saving the tubers.

I rescued three dahlia plugs from the dead-shelf at the garden centre which went on to flower beautifully in my patio pots.

I'm in the SE and it's still rather mild
I'm a bit confused as to when to lift them and the process for successfully storing the tubers over winter. The info online is a minefield! Thanks

Mine too Maud ! Well done Searabbit, one less job to do.

Haveyouseen I'm fairly new to Dahlias, last year was the first year and I just left them the ground but only two came back up so I'm going to lift them. It think you're supposed to dig them up when gone black from frost and then I'm a bit hazy about the next bit. How are you doing it Searabbit?

Something awful has happened. DD is a Christmas Elf at local Garden Centre. I'm going to go have to go and take her and walk past plants Saturday and Sunday for 4 weeks. Whatever will my bank balance do?

Can she get you a staff discount?

She doesn't know her pay yet but a letter on the way and I'm hoping it says those magic words, staff discount..

Loving the idea of a Christmas Elf in the family - will she have green skin? Family discount must surely be available. New lawnmower time?

I read somewhere that the blackening by frost is necessary to feed the tubers - but as they are from South Africa I am sceptical. Anyway, I have managed to keep most of mine over the last few winters by lifting them. It's mostly because otherwise the spring shoots get slugged if I leave them in the ground.

A few small ones have gone mouldy, and some got very wizened- but then produced shoots just as lush as the non- wizened ones. I now make sure I get off as much soil as I can when I lift them, cut the shoots, tie a label on them, then make sure they dry very thoroughly, and then keep them covered in our unheated garage. Last year I stored them in a padded bag I got given, and they were less wizened than when I had stored them in shredded paper.

I grew some more from seed this year and plan to keep them in their pots without watering them.

It's been mild the last few winters. I'll probably bring them in if it threatens hard frost. I love my dahlias!

She did have green hair for a bit !!!

Very useful bit on Dahlias, thank you

I have dug up one sad looking dahlia from outside plus taken two potted (but small) cuttings out of their pots which have tiny tubers.

15 sweet William plugs arrived and are in the raised cutting bed.

Fingers crossed for a staff discount sugarplum

Spurred on by searabbit I've dug up all my Dahlias too. It took ages. I've followed on by planting out forget- me-not seedlings and about 20 giant Alliums. I've about 50 more Alliums to do plus the Tulips but I'll do the rest tomorrow. It's so mild here still.

Argh I really need to rant. I went out yesterday to finish the bulbs only to discover bottom of the garden neighbour hacking into our hedge. It looks terrible he's taken it as low as 3 foot in places and has told me he intends to replace it with a fence :(

Dh is furious but on checking our deeds it just isn't clear who owns the hedge. Because our house originally had a much bigger garden and a gate to the orchard, which is now neighbours house I had always assumed the very old hawthorn hedge was ours.

His reason for doing all this is that he has had a very big conservatory which almost touches the boundary, built and the workmen can't get access to finish the guttering.

I did finish the Alliums somewhat crossly!

Geoff I have total sympathy for you living next door to hedge removing twat, have some

Geoff boundaries and who maintains are so often a grey area .Possibilty that might be clearer indications on your offending neighbour's title and plan deeds . You can get on line from Land Registry ,only £6 b. Worth a try .

My neighbours plans said he had to erect and maintain a fence on northern boundary ,so we were at least able to point out that it wasn't our responsibilty .

I feel your pain ,I would be really upset about loss of hedge .

Oh dear Geoff. If he does replace it with a fence, could you plant your own hedge in front of it? It would take time to grow of course but you could make it a real mixture, so have a lot of interest. You could make it appear to be really old:

www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/023_measuring_a_hedge_s_age.pdf

The fence at the bottom of our garden is (rather unattractive) patchwork of different fence panels, and belongs to the bottom neighbours. It's right by my veg. plot, and sadly there isn't really space to plant my own hedge, as our garden isn't very long.

I would say I don't know what goes through people's heads when they do that but I suspect it's along the lines of they'll do it anyway so you don't get the chance to say no.

Searabbit, a couple of bits fell off the tuber of a dahlia I've just lifted. Are these bits a goner now or will they make new plants - they don't have any of the stem.

Very pleased this morning as found a hellebore in flower and what I think are flower bud shoots coupon a couple of others. Hellebores are fairly new introductions so up until now it has been a waiting game.

Sugarplum I don't know about your odd tubers. As a whole plant complete with tubers can grow from a seed, in 4 months, it's likely one will grow from a tuber, so I'd keep them plant in spring and see (I threw my odd ones away so can't experiment along with you).

Sarah Raven was advising to cut off hellebore leaves this weekend to guard against some fungal infection. Hellebores are new to me too, so I don't know if this applies to apparently healthy leaves. Can anyone advise?

Thanks Searabbit. I'll give it a shot. My understanding of cutting off hellebore leaves is you take off the ones that are looking diseased (black bits on them) as it is a fungal condition, you can leave the healthy ones on. Happy to be corrected though..

Yes I leave the healthy leaves on Hellebores especially as I like the look of them and dont really like the 'bare flowered' look. Last year's old manky leaves can go but in my garden this year's nice healthy leaves stay

Thanks for the commiserations.

I tried to grow a separated tuber last year sugar nothing happened.

I've finally succumbed to a secret gardening club offer and have to say I am very impressed. 6 healthy and good sized tango Geums arrived yesterday. They cost £5.95 free postage!